We're Going Home

22

As each day passed the two boys became closer. There wasn't really a time when they were apart.

This was not only because the two depended on each other, but also because it could almost be said that they were falling in love. Though, there was also another element that no one spoke aloud.

Lance had been weaker lately, everyone on the team could see it. It had taken a while since he got back from the asylum for it to kick in, but the medicine he'd been given was not making him better. If anything, it was breaking him down. He'd try to hide his coughs, but the bloody tissues weren't hard to spot in the trash can.

Keith and he had been getting closer. No kissing yet, rather late nights talking about life and the wonder of the stars. Lance would tell him stories about his family back home, and Keith would sing to him. Then they'd fall asleep, legs and other limbs tangled together, both snoring loudly.

It was innocent and beautiful. Two souls so dedicated to healing one another that they can't fail. And yet, Lance's was beginning to falter.

Mornings had become routine. Lance would wake up coughing then watch Keith sleep for a few moments before the raven-haired boy's eyes would flutter open and a smile would grace his face. Together, they would go to the kitchen and get coffee and breakfast and hold hands under the table, Keith having his eyes anywhere but Lance because god did his hands feel so warm and right when clasped with his.

Lance still continued to train and work with the team as hard as ever, not showing a sign of weakness. But when he thought no one was looking, he'd slump against the wall and rest, or fall to his knees with weariness. Keith saw, but he didn't say anything. He was going to sneak back into the place where they'd been held and demand a cure.

One night, while Lance slept, Keith left. He kissed him gently on the forehead, which was absolutely burning up, and left a note.

'Hey, Lance, It's Keith. I'm going to find a cure, don't die before I get back, Okay?'

And then under that, scratched out, 'I love you.'

He took his lion and set a tracker on the data that he had collected that long time ago. He looked back one last time before taking off in his lion, whispering, "I'm gonna save you."

Lance had been eating less because he couldn't keep much down and breaking down more often. Sometimes, just fainting. Others would find him sleeping in the hall and immediately take him back to Keith's room. Lance didn't really use his room anymore. Most of his time was spent at Keith's side. So, one can imagine his surprise when he woke up, and Keith was gone.

"Keith?" He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and looking for any sign of the red paladin. He got to his feet slowly and glanced around the room. No sign of him, but on the table sat a small piece of paper with his name on it.

He picked it up, the handwriting seemed to be Keith's. He opened it slowly, his fingers gently brushing the edges of the paper as he did so. As he read it he whispered the words to himself, but even the scribbled out words at the bottom did little to console him. "Mullet! You idiot!" A soft anger was evident in his tone. He didn't want Keith sacrificing himself for him. How had he even known that Lance was sick? Lance had gone to all ends to hide that.

He left the room in a fit of rage. He was going to track Keith down and drag him back home. But before he could board his lion, or get his suit on-

"Heyyyyyy, Lance. Where you headed?" Hunk asked, making it all too obvious that he was trying to hide something from him.

"To my lion," He retorted, so if you could move.

"I don't think that's such a great idea." Hunk kept his arms crossed, his brows creased with worry as he inspected the boy. "Have you been eating?"

"What's the point? It's not like I'm gonna keep it down anyway." He inhaled sharply then averted his eyes to the ground, he'd just fully admitted to Hunk the hell he'd been living in. Keith made it better, but every part of his body wanted him to turn inside out, especially with Keith gone. tears came to his eyes as he looked at Hunk. "I'm going after him, please."

Hunk shook his head and pulled him into a hug. "Shiro's going after him, you'll just get them killed, okay?"

Lance knew that, but he still wanted to be there, saving him. He slumped forward into Hunk's embrace and rested in it. It was big and warm, and he was so tired.

...

Shiro took off in the Lion the moment he knew. Pidge had caught him sneaking out and was going to go after him but realized Lance should know first. But when she saw him sleeping so peacefully on the bed, she knew she couldn't possibly wake him. So she told Shiro to tell Lance but instead was forced to stay while Shiro went and got 'his little brother'.

It was just like Keith to do something like this, and perhaps he thought that since he looked like a galra he could get on and off without getting caught. Still, it made sense that Keith would go on a suicide mission in order to save Lance. Keith had been doing all kinds of stupid stuff like that lately. Staying up with Lance whenever he couldn't sleep, helping him everywhere, babying him.

"Keith, I'm coming after you." Shiro commed to Keith.

Great. Fantastic. "No, Shiro, just go back, okay? I can do this, I even look Galra now."

"A short Galra. Listen, it's not optional, I'm coming." Keith could be stubborn, but Shiro was worse, especially when it came to people he loved.

"Okay, hang behind. If I get caught or in trouble, then you come in. If not, you stay on your lion." Keith knew that Shiro was stubborn probably better than anyone, but at least he could give him this.

"You turn your comm off for a second and I'm by your side in an instant," Shiro told him, then slowed a bit.

"Okay." Keith landed on the ship and cut the bottom open, creeping inside carefully. He knocked a Galra out and took his armor then slipped it on. It was a little big.

He stepped out into the hall and was immediately met by someone who looked like they were royalty, with long luscious white hair, and a sly grin on his face. This grin, however, dropped the moment he saw Keith putting his helmet on. "Brother?"